Story of A Marriage, by Andrew Sean Greer – Book Review

Pearlie and Holland are childhood sweethearts from Kentucky who have found each other again after being separated when Holland went off to war. Holland is a troubled man when he returns and though his elderly spinster aunts try to warn Pearlie that she should not marry Holland on account of his being “ill”, they only drop cryptic hints as to what that illness might be. Pearlie does what any young woman in love would do- she ignores them, nurses and watches carefully over Holland’s health, and then marries him anyway.

Pearlie and Holland start making a life for themselves when they move to the community of Sunset at the furthest edge of San Francisco. Curiously, and for reasons not immediately clear, they remain outsiders in their neighborhood; but even still, they have a child together and plan on raising him where they have settled. They do well for a time, but the precarious balance of their lives is upset when Holland’s past in the form of Charles Drumer comes knocking at their door, relentlessly drawing Pearlie into the midst of an intrigue where she is hopelessly out of her depth.

Last year I readThe Confessions of Max Tivoli by the same author, Andrew Sean Greer, and while I was taken with the premise he wanted to explore (a man who aged and lived backwards), I was very disappointed with the execution of the novel. It was beautifully written but I didn’t feel that the story addressed some of the obvious questions raised in the story. I picked up The Story of A Marriagewanting to see what else this talented writer had to offer. Of course, the book languished a bit on my shelves until Trish mentioned it as a possibility for our That’s How I Blog! Twenty Minute Book Club. I jumped at the opportunity to give Greer another try and fast tracked the book on my TBR pile. This time I wasn’t disappointed.

I was interested right away in Pearlie- the life that she was leading, her odd jobs, personality traits, peculiar background- and that which made her prone to the choices she made. Though her life is framed by the needs of others and by the standards of her time, this story is thoroughly hers, and her husband Holland remains a shadowy figure seen and known only through Pearlie’s hazy reflections, which she uses to protectively distance herself from painful experiences in her past. I always wondered what was going on with her and whether I could trust her- whether I could truly rely on her for an accurate portrayal of events.

The truth is slow to reveal itself, filtered as it is through Pearlie’s uncertain psyche, but I was often stunned by the nuggets of additional information that triumphantly reveal themselves over the course of this strange narrative. Holland doesn’t remember Pearlie when they first rediscover each other in California, and I often caught myself wondering what would prompt a woman to give herself so eagerly to a first love who didn’t even remember her. I was intrigued by the way the story unfolded and each piece of the puzzle skillfully raised more questions than the last.

Charles Drummer easily becomes a fixture in the Cook household and he exerts a powerful influence on the vulnerable Pearlie, who lacks the self-esteem and confidence to challenge the sacrifice that Drumer requires her to make. There are hints from the first pages that Pearlie’s young marriage has taken turns that are unexpected and unwelcome by the new wife. I was eager to see it unfold and know what had brought them to such an unsatisfactory conclusion. The carefully exposed journey to the end result was a fraught and complicated stew of themes exploring guilt, responsibility, male authority and privilege and a few surprises that it would spoil the book to name. It was also beautifully written and gorgeous in both language and imagery.

Thankfully I was able to explore the themes and nuances of the story in more detail with Jen and Trish on Trish’s episode of That’s How I Blog! If you’re interested in hearing more about this fascinating book (spoilers included!), then the conversation starts at the 72:55 minute mark.

What an interesting video! I like this guy, and of course now I have a better of what the stranger at the door wanted! Still I would love to read this book. Nicole, really excellent review! You have done it justice!

This sounds like an interesting read and it is set in an area I am fairly familiar with since I live in the SF Bay Area. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Based on what you’ve written I do thinkI would enjoy it.
.-= Kathleen´s last blog ..A Question about Reading Habits =-.

Wow, I would really not pick another book by an author who promised but was disappointing. But I think you found a really good book here! I really liked your review and keep an eye out for this one/
.-= Veens´s last blog ..The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown =-.

Books about relationships are just so interesting aren’t they – feed the voyeur a lil bit and also let people really pick apart what makes a realtionship work and how they can fall apart. Sometimes I wonder if readers of certain kinds of books produce these great, healthy realtionships…

I heard this author speak at the LA Times Festival of Books and I purchased his book based on his personality alone! And…the book is still sitting on my bookshelf, untouched! I really need to get to it soon.
.-= Ti´s last blog ..Review: New Moon =-.

I’ve been waiting to read a blog review of this! I’ve read about it in Amazon and was intrigued but was hoping to read a more in-depth review from a book blogger. It does sound interesting. I’ll look for a copy.

It’s my first time visiting your blog. I’ll be dropping by more often.

This has caught my eye before, but I haven’t yet picked it up. I stopped “That’s How I Blog” when you got to the book discussion 🙂
.-= Dawn – She is Too Fond of Books´s last blog ..Book Review: *The Elegance of the Hedgehog* by Muriel Barbery =-.